Grim Reminder (and Other One-Shots!)
by The Brod Road
Summary: Updated! Late BB/Rae Week entry, I think! Light BB/Rae. What happens when a TV segment brings thoughts of a certain someone to Beast Boy's mind? Raven ends up with the answer. After all, she had the remote...and the mind-reading.
1. Chapter 1

Teen Titans: Grim Reminder

Disclaimer: Don't own anything used here.

Author's Note: I was inspired to type this story after recently watching Season 2 and stumbled across an old pro-wrestling vignette on YouTube that seemed so fitting to Terra's actions, especially on what Beast Boy must've felt between Aftershock Parts 1 and 2. Not sure if it's my best work, especially with the ending, but I think I did alright.

It was a lazy day at Titans' Tower. Even Jump City was pretty laid back, which was always good for its resident guardians. But with laziness comes boredom, unless one can find something to occupy himself. That was the case for the Common Room, where all five Titans were currently located. Raven was sitting on the couch, reading an old book about the many paths of mysticism. Robin and Starfire were playing chess nearby, the joyful Tamaranean being taught the Earth game by the Boy Wonder. Cyborg was cooking up his interpretation of a Meat Lovers Pizza. (He had pointed out once before that the famous Meat Lovers clearly "didn't have enough meat, y'all".)

But Beast Boy… The green changeling was channel surfing. As usual, he couldn't find much of anything good on. A cooking show… A reality show about some famous celebrity beauty… A hip-hop channel hosting a twerking competition… The news… Nope. Not a lot of luck there. Unfortunately, the mash-up of different sounds, voices, and music brought on by the constant changing of channels was beginning to grate on the nearby empath's nerves…

"Just pick a channel…" Raven said in her dry monotone, staring pointedly at her bored friend.

"There's nothing on so far. I gotta find something I like." Beast Boy grumbled. About 1,000 channels in all and yet he had not found a single interesting show. 475 unchecked channels to go. It was beginning to wear thin on even Beast Boy.

The remote suddenly became encased with black energy as Raven moved the remote to her hand. "I'm picking a channel. You will watch. And you will enjoy. Are we clear?" Her amethyst eyes bore into Beast Boy's, clearly indicating that she was not to be crossed. Beast Boy could only nod in agreement.

Raven then pressed a random selection of numbers. The channel changed. On the screen seemed to be a professional wrestling show. Beast Boy recognized the arena setup as a rerun of an old-school episode of WWE's Monday Night Raw. A match was finishing up as one wrestler hit his signature attack upon his opponent and scored the pinfall victory. After some pomp and circumstance involving music, commentary, and posturing, the screen faded out. A commercial break.

Beast Boy laid back, somewhat glad that Raven's random button-pushing led to something he could enjoy. Sure, some people (like Robin and Raven, for example) would scoff at the sport as "completely fake", but then again, Beast Boy didn't think that those critics ever tried watching it. Not to mention, some of the Titans' adventures might be considered "unreal" from a spectator's point of view, now that Beast Boy thought about it.

The show came back on, but instead of the arena, the screen showed a graveyard at night, specifically a freshly-dug grave in front of a tree. A pile of dirt to the left of it…and a tall, intimidating man wearing black and purple to the right of it. The man stood with a grim demeanor about him, his long, greasy, jet-black hair adding to his dark appearance. It was obvious to many a fan who this was. After all, The Undertaker is a huge name in the business…

"_The rains have now stopped… but it's only the quiet before the real storm_… _Buried Alive… Who could've thought that it would come to this…?_" began The Undertaker. Beast Boy, knowing of the rules of a Buried Alive Match (first one to dump his opponent in a grave and then bury him in dirt wins) couldn't help but agree with that sentiment. Such stipulations need only be used as a last resort.

"_Each time you escape the clutches of these purple (gloved) fists, you grew stronger, yet more evil…" _

Beast Boy's mind instantly and unwittingly clicked to a certain terrible point in his life… A certain blonde geomancer… She had managed to evade the Titans repeatedly, whether by running away or by kicking their ass. And every time, she had seemingly become more corrupt…

Raven had sensed this sudden change in BB's mood. Having given the TV only the amount of attention reserved for background noise, she had heard the deep voice of the gothic man on the screen and could venture a guess as to the changeling's mood swing.

"_So you see, you left me with no choice… I must now be your judge, your jury…and your executioner…"_

Beast Boy, and in turn, Raven by way of her empath powers to clarify her theory, were reminded of when the five friends regrouped underground after the traitorous Terra had mopped the floor with them. Robin had given her a second chance, as Beast Boy requested. She nearly killed them as a response.

No choice, indeed.

"_If it takes destroying The Undertaker to destroy you, Mankind... Well, then that's what I will do… You must be extinguished."_

Ironically, that was the mindset going into what would be the final conflict with Terra, Slade's robo-army, the fused-together form of Cinderblock, Overload, and Plasmus…and eventually, Slade himself. The city was in danger. Most likely, the whole planet was in danger. After all, what madman stops at just one city? Friendship can only get someone little stroke sometimes, especially after she puts humanity in jeopardy and beats the crap out of her friends in the process… And, during the Titans' counterattack in the ruins of Jump City, no one was more determined to win than Beast Boy. Who could blame him, really?

"_Why don't you try and imagine what those last few breaths of air will taste like…"_

Raven recalled her mud-fight with Terra during her initial rampage. She remembered vividly how, despite Rage being unleashed, Terra managed to drag her underneath the mud, the last thing she saw at the time being her smug smile of victory and dominance. She remembered what that last gasp of air tasted like…

As if a final insult to injury, it strangely tasted like desert sand…

"_Try and imagine what it would be like…trying to claw your way out of a bottomless pit…"_

Beast Boy knew all too well of that, Raven was certain. She felt a spike of… a particular sorrow. The kind of sorrow that one gets when he is reminded of one of his worst or traumatizing moments. "Hitting a little too close to home", so to speak. Most likely, it had something to do when he went one-on-one with Terra during that same initial rampage. He never did tell anyone the details of that… She suspected that Cyborg knew, since they were together when dealing with Plasmus.

Either way, it seemed Terra had figuratively rubbed salt in BB's wound. Or maybe he still really couldn't believe it at the time…

"_Try to imagine what it will be like… to never… Rest… In Peace…"_

Raven sensed a feeling of morbid curiosity from Beast Boy when Undertaker said that. It wasn't difficult to guess what he was wondering about. The statue, of course. Despite her justified grudge against her, she occasionally had the same grim questions in her mind whenever Terra came up in conversation.

Is she ok somehow?

Did she die? Or is she just permanently paralyzed?

If she's alive, is she conscious? Or put into a permanent stasis of sleep?

If she's conscious, does she see or hear anything? Or are all her senses trapped in that form-fitting shell of rock? Her mind possibly being slowly driven insane by the sheer nothingness of it all?

No matter the possible answers, there was nothing positive about them. The Undertaker would be correct in this particular case. Despite her final actions that ended up stopping Slade and saving all of Jump, Terra had certainly received her punishment for her previous actions. Call it karma, call it an act of God, but a peaceful rest for Terra seemed to be off the table…

The Undertaker had moved toward the dirt pile as he spoke his message. He grabbed the shovel that was sticking out from the dirt pile. The camera shifted to a view from the grave's bottom, looking up. _"This…is the final thing you will ever see…"_ He then proceeded to bury the camera in dirt, representing the viewpoint of the unfortunate opponent. Thus, ended the macabre vignette.

Again, the pale empath agreed with the gothic wrestler, in a sense. Beast Boy was definitely still bothered by the whole Terra incident, even now, 2 years after it had happened. She knew he had to 'bury it' somehow and get himself over it. Was there going to be a chance of him getting depressed whenever there was talk of earthquakes or volcanoes? Or if they happened to meet other heroes or villains that have earth-related superpowers, especially female ones? Raven was certain that Terra wasn't the planet's sole geomancer…

One glance at the sullen jokester justified her thought. Yes, his lingering issues had to be buried for good. As annoying as he was to her, even she thought that Beast Boy just wasn't himself without his trademark goofy smile and energetic attitude. In some odd way, she found that…endearing. If only he could do something about his off-kilter sense of humor… But that's another problem.

Beast Boy had stood up and started to leave the Common Room, despite the wrestling action continuing with promoting the next match. Letting loose a light sigh, Raven got up to follow. This didn't go unnoticed by the others. Cyborg gave Raven a questioning look as he walked over, pizza in hand, to the couch to take over the TV.

"Not now, Cyborg… Perhaps later." She simply said, not even stopping her walk.

"_If you smell what The Rock is cooking!"_ was heard from the TV, followed by upbeat-sounding music, as Raven walked through the doorway. 'Ironic. Another reference to the earthly element…' she thought, slightly shaking her head.

As she suspected, Beast Boy was lurking in the empty space that was Terra's former room. The earth-inspired wall design was still there. Nobody had wanted to change the room in any way, apparently in respect of their former friend. Just like before, he was in the form of an old dog, curled up on the empty bed with a sad look on his face. Raven was both saddened and annoyed by this as she stood in the doorway.

"Gar… I thought we've all been over this…" she said in a soft tone, her gaze soft yet reprimanding. The response was a small series of whimpers as Beast Boy lifted his head. Raven crossed her arms, remaining silent as if waiting. Eventually, the green Titan shifted back to his human form.

"Sorry, Rae…" he said, looking at the floor and fidgeting with his hands.

"It's Raven… You can't keep doing this, you know. Bad things will happen. People are born, people—"

"Will die." Beast Boy interrupted, having heard her say morals of the sort before. "It's part of the balance of things. I know… It's just that… I never like to think about that whole thing. I could've…. I could've saved her…"

"It's not healthy to dwell on the past at every little thing that reminds you of it. It usually makes things worse…" the empath paused, thinking of something that could help her get Beast Boy to understand better. Then, her eyebrows raised. "Ah, such as… well… my birthday…"

Both Titans remembered clearly Trigon's attempted invasion of Earth… Raven continued, floating over to him. "Even after that happened, I still don't like my birthday. You know what they say about old habits, right…? However, I knew that there was no point dwelling on a prophecy that has no real power anymore. Especially since you guys always try to make my birthday…fun…" She said the last word as if remembering something disturbing. Beast Boy could only chuckle nervously at that, like a child with his hand caught in the cookie jar. "So… I try and go with it. No more Trigon. No more prophecy. Just another superhero turning a year older."

"Yeah, but-" Beast Boy was cut off this time, a gentle gray finger pressed against his lips.

"No, Gar. Don't even think about bringing up the 'should've, could've, would've' stuff. You and I both know that Terra was quite a flawed person with insecurities about her powers. Just because someone is gifted with powers doesn't mean that he or she is the right person to have them, unfortunately. But you know…" the smallest of smiles graced Raven's face, much to Beast Boy's amazement. "Most people would rather see their loved ones live happy lives with no regrets, powers or no powers. You tried your best to save her. I think that's good enough. So, go live already." She accentuated her last statement with a gentle slap upside Beast Boy's head, causing him to flinch.

Absently rubbing his head, Beast Boy pondered her words for a few moments. He found it amusingly odd that the Titans' gloomiest member was somehow always the one that could take the weight off of his mind. Perhaps that was one reason why he seemed to hang around her more than he did with the others, including his video game counterpart, Cyborg.

"I guess you're right. If that were me frozen as a statue, I wouldn't want you guys cracking up over it for years… That'd be awful." The changeling stated, standing up. Raven's smile widened by just a wee bit, sensing her friend's mood improving.

"Now you're getting it." She said.

Beast Boy's signature smile, fang and all, was back. "After all, if that happened, how could I…" he paused. And then, sounding like someone with the worst case of laryngitis ever, he continued "Rest…In…Peace!?" Raven leaned her head down while slapping a palm on her face. He just had to try his own Undertaker impression… Beast Boy laughed with her silent response.

But, despite her truly being slightly annoyed by Beast Boy's impression, the facepalm successfully concealed the wide grin she had on. She had sensed the all-too-familiar bounciness that was Beast Boy's happiness. His joke was no front or bluff after all. Certainly, the Terra issue was still there, but Raven had definitely helped. And no matter how much she would dread the impending time when he would start annoying her with jokes and stupid ideas again, Raven decided that she preferred this Beast Boy after all.

The door to the Common Room slid open, revealing an odd sight to the green and gray Titans. Robin's face was apparently blue from a lack of oxygen as the Boy Wonder struggled against his girlfriend's attempted sleeper-hold. Cyborg was snickering as he watched Starfire holding Robin until she realized that he was fading and promptly dropped him.

"Dare I even ask?" Raven muttered, resuming her dry monotone despite the heart-to-heart she had moments ago.

"Aw, it's nothin', Raven. Star wanted to learn some wrestling moves. Bird boy apparently forgot about her super-strength!" Cyborg answered, grinning. Beast Boy laughed.

"Dude, Star with a sleeper hold? Most criminals wouldn't last 10 seconds!" he chuckled, suddenly having a mental image of Starfire with a World Heavyweight Championship belt.

"I did the hold of sleeper right?" Starfire asked, helping Robin back up to his feet.

"Agh… Yep… Ya did it, Star…" panted the Titans' leader, which caused Starfire to float in joy.

"Awright, Star. Let's take a break from Robin's neck." Cyborg said, causing Robin to give a sigh of relief. "Let's work on the legs. Time to teach you the Sharpshooter!" the mechanical teen's excited bellow caused Robin's eyes to widen considerably in fear. Starfire squealed in excitement, before wondering what exactly a "shooter of sharp" is.

Raven glanced over at her green partner, a small smirk on her face. "Shall we watch?" she asked. Beast Boy grinned. He could count on one hand the number of times that Raven actually invited HIM to do anything with her.

"Sure! I'll get some popcorn!" he said, scurrying off to the nearby kitchen area. Raven sat at the kitchen table and watched Cyborg give his "pupil" instructions on the leg-based submission maneuver, much to the nervousness of the 'Fearless Leader'. Perhaps Beast Boy was right after all about wrestling being entertaining. Perhaps…

A bowl of popcorn soon appeared on the counter by Raven as Robin was told to lie down. The changeling leaped over the counter and sat on the stool next to hers, ready for some prime candid comedy.

"C'mon, Cy… Why can't you be her practice partner? You got the build to handle it, obviously." Robin groaned as Starfire lightly grabbed his legs.

"Yeah, but you know she LOVES doing anything with you, Rob." Cyborg laughed. "Now, Star, cross his legs so they wrap around the leg you just put forward." Starfire complied, hoping she wouldn't hurt her Robin.

"You sure you'll be careful, Star? You are stronger than us humans, remember. Umm… Star?" He seemed to be begging at this point, despite him merely making sure of things.

"It's ok, boyfriend Robin. I think I can do this just right." She replied with a hint of excitement in her voice.

Robin gulped. Beast Boy snickered, knowing what would most likely happen. Raven mentally prepared her healing powers, just in case. But that didn't stop her from casually munching on some popcorn, contentment evident in her eyes. For once, the green Titan's snickering wasn't grating or stress-inducing. It was as it should be, even if half the time, that snickering is over some prank aimed at her… But, in the end, she wouldn't want Beast Boy to be anything less than himself.

"Now, turn him over!" Cyborg instructed, his grin getting wider. Starfire stepped over and around, applying the Sharpshooter.

"YAAAAAAHHHH!"

Thus, Raven proudly had a new way to embarrass Robin whenever he got too strict or stubborn on her or Beast Boy. All she had to do was show Starfire a new pro-wrestling move to practice…

Author's Note: And there it is. I hope you all enjoyed it. Reviews are greatly appreciated, of course. Flames are welcome as long as they are civil about it. But a couple of things to note.

1) For those that aren't wrestling fans: When Undertaker refers to "Mankind", he is actually referring to a wrestler who had a split-personality named Mankind. So, no, Taker was not threatening all of humanity! Lol.

2) For those that are interested in the wrestling vignette itself for a visual perspective, go to YouTube and look for a video entitled "Undertaker Buried Alive Promo 1996 (HD)". I'd post a link to save time but I hear this site's a bit funky on links...

3) A sleeper hold is obvious to explain. But the Sharpshooter? For those that are curious on what exactly Robin went through at the end, just watch any old-school 90's wrestling match featuring the legendary Bret "Hitman" Hart.

Thanks for reading!


	2. A Creative SmackDown

A Creative Smackdown

Author's Note: Another plot bunny involving the Titans (mainly BB and Raven) and something to do with pro-wrestling. Perhaps this will be a small series of one-shots?

Disclaimer: I still own nothing that's used here.

It was nighttime at Titans Tower. Around 2 AM, to be specific. One would think that, since the city seemed to be quiet and crime-free at the moment, all the Titans would be peacefully slumbering away. Well, that was almost true. For indeed, Robin and Starfire were sleeping in their now-shared room. (Robin had always hoped that no one would discover their unique sleeping position, where Star would hold him as if she were the male in the relationship. After all, you don't question the insistent motives of a lover with super-strength!) Cyborg was on his charging station, offline for the night. And Raven was dozing in her dreary room.

However, in the common room, the constant glow of the TV was the most obvious sign that the resident changeling was still awake. Beast Boy knew he had to turn in for the night. He was tired too. However, something told him to keep playing… no, working! For he was not exactly 'playing' this game at the moment. In fact, he was working on a certain aspect of this particular game.

"Yeah… No, wait… Hmm… That's it…" he murmured to himself, his eyes glued to the screen as he continued working on his game. Granted, it was merely a game, but he had his reasons for his focus. He wanted to surprise the others with something amusing. Maybe they would laugh (with him and not at him). Maybe they would admire his handiwork. He could only hope, considering who his friends were (although he knew Cyborg would be amused).

It only took another half an hour to finish whatever adjustments needed to be made and save his game for the night. He prayed that criminals would lay low throughout the next day, seeing as everyone had said they'd planned on mainly lounging around. The perfect time to show off his little surprise…

Late next morning…

Beast Boy burst into the common room, earlier than usual. He noticed that everyone had already finished breakfast and were doing their own thing. Starfire was in the kitchen, pondering which Tamaranean recipe to try to replicate using Earth ingredients. Robin was reading the newspaper, possibly looking for another lead on Deathstroke. Raven was meditating by the couch. And Cyborg would have managed to turn on the GameStation…if a certain grey-gloved hand hadn't beat him to it!

"Hey, green bean. What's the rush, man? Ready to lose?" the metal man smirked, figuring that Beast Boy would not resist a chance to break what seemed to be a losing streak.

"I'll challenge that, but not yet. I wanna show something to everyone." Beast Boy couldn't get the grin off of his face to save his life, he was so excited.

"Uhh… B? Ya do realize that not everyone here likes video games, right?" Cyborg replied with a skeptical look. He knew that Starfire was still confused about the idea of people controlling digital avatars to 'play the stories, the sports, or the amusements-of-cheap', as she phrased it once. Interested, but confused. And nobody needed to tell the green one what the group's only empath thought of video games…

"I know, but you'll love this. Trust me!" he said, loading up the game that was still in the disk drive. Shrugging, not wanting to quash his best friend's excitement right off the bat, he proceeded to call the others over. Robin and Starfire walked over, no problem. But to no one's surprise, Raven was reluctant.

"I am meditating. You know better than to interrupt me, especially for something as pointless as a video game…" the Goth muttered in her usual monotone, a disinterested stare adding to the effect.

"Aww, c'mon, Raven. Tell ya what. If it's stupid, I'll let ya smack him around a little!" Cyborg offered with his best salesman's grin, getting an annoyed "Hey!" from Beast Boy in immediate response.

However, despite Beast Boy not wanting to become a punching bag, Raven actually contemplated the offer. After a few moments of silent hovering, she uncrossed her legs and stood normally, merely warning Beast Boy that "This better be good".

By the time Raven looked at the screen, the group saw that Beast Boy had loaded up the new WWE wrestling game. Beast Boy pressed Start and waited for the main menu to load.

"BB, what do you got going on here? We've seen this game, you know." Cyborg had to ask.

"I made something awesome! Oh, that reminds me! Close your eyes. I want this to be a surprise."

Robin and Raven groaned, but the four complied. All they heard were buttons being pressed and whatever random wrestler theme song the background music was playing. 3 minutes in, after listening to a song about somebody being 'here to show the world', Raven was decidedly going to do something to her close green friend later…

Eventually, the changeling's announcement of "There! All set" let the others open their eyes to see a loading screen. Moments later, the loading screen faded to black…

"_I'm here to show the world, I'M HERE TO SHOW THE WORLD! COME OOOONNNN!"_

The screen showed a wrestling arena, clearly a match was setting up with entrances. Soon, the Titans raised their eyebrows as… Robin started strutting down the entrance ramp!

"Check it out! I created Robin!" Beast Boy exclaimed triumphantly.

"Do I really look like that? I look like…! Oh… No wonder Raven sometimes insults me by making traffic light jokes…" Robin grumbled, facepalming.

Cyborg laughed. "Oh, that cinches it, right there! It's a spittin' image of our Boy Wonder here!"

"And I don't wanna 'show the world'! I'm just trying to lead this team and protect the city." The leader continued, scrutinizing Beast Boy's creation.

"Dude, you think we forgot the fact that you broke away from Batman to 'do things your way'? That's pretty damn ballsy, bro!" the green Titan chuckled.

Starfire stared, a perplexed look on her face. "Hmm… The mask is slightly incorrect… So is the hair of the spiky. But it is a pretty good representation. So… you made him as a wrestler-of-pro, friend Beast Boy?" she asked with an amused smile.

"Yeah, but not just him…" he trailed off, just as Robin's entrance ended.

A noble-sounding tune, one that reminded most of the Titans of glory and regal bearings, played as the game camera turned across the digital crowd and revealed a beautiful orange-skinned, red-haired female wrestler, skipping her way toward the ring. Starfire gasped.

"That is me?! Wow!" Yep, Star was impressed. So was Robin, who gaped at the digital Starfire's slightly different outfit and hairstyle. But then he noticed something…

"Hey! Beast Boy, you gave her a bigger chest! You trying to say something?!" the Boy Wonder glared at the wide-eyed changeling.

"What? No, man! Her breasts are big enough! I mean, they're fine! I mean, they're fine as in an ok size! No, wait, not just 'ok'! I mean, they're great, I'm sure! I've never seen 'em, of course! I'm not… She's not… Ummm…" Beast Boy's skin color practically changed to red with as much blushing as he was doing. He certainly didn't like the raised eyebrow and frown that Raven silently gave him…

"Yo, Rob. Chill. Grass Stain means that he probably made her look more adult. Your character look a little taller too, man." Cyborg said, standing by Beast Boy in case Robin was mad enough to try something.

Starfire looked at "herself" and then down at her own fair-sized chest. "Boyfriend Robin, do you think I'd look good with the breasts of bigger or just as I am?" Robin knew he had to answer when he saw that look on her face, the look that said that she needed his answer to settle her mind.

"Look, Star… Umm… You look great right now, but I think Cyborg has a point. You might look like that in a few years." Robin replied in as confident a voice as he could muster, using the last few moments of digital-Starfire's entrance to give a critical look between the two Stars, comparing and thinking.

While the obviously Star-obsessed Robin thought, the game shifted to the next entrant. Tribal-sounding drum-heavy music played as a green character showed off to the crowd. Immediately, Cyborg and Robin reacted.

"B, you don't look that buff! Ha! You're scrawnier than that!" Cyborg couldn't help but laugh. What's odd was that the digital-BB wasn't made to be a hulking strong-man. No, Beast Boy felt he was pretty honest with his own representation…

"At least you made your entrance look like something you'd do." Robin grinned, watching the green wrestler flail his arms, trying to hype up the crowd. "But I think that's a decent job of yourself, Beast Boy."

"See, Cy? Knew you were just bustin' my chops!" he taunted the metal man. Then, he turned to Raven. She knew he wanted her opinion… She sighed. 'Just because we had a bonding moment over some pro-wrestling…' her mind trailed off, remembering what Nevermore dubbed 'The Undertaker Incident' a couple of months ago…

She compared Beast Boy with his avatar. Of course, there were slight differences, like the fact that the game engine probably didn't have an option to have one little fang stick out of a character's lower lip… And she did notice that he (slightly) made himself a little less scrawny. "Hmm… Looks alright, but if you wanna look like that, you'd better hit the gym more…" she dryly quipped. Beast Boy deflated, to the amusement of the other boys as his entrance ended.

"_Somebody's gonna get their ass kicked. Somebody's gonna get their wig split!"_

Thus, the fourth entrant came. A questionable-looking Cyborg. Questionable because it looked more like a nearly-naked black man with squares of white and blue body paint on him! Robin laughed and Starfire giggled.

"Yo, what the blue hell is that, B? I don't look like that!" Cyborg fumed, glaring at the little grass stain.

"It's the best I could do! The game doesn't account for the idea of making robot wrestlers!" Beast Boy countered, which made since. Even the WWE couldn't afford to have a mechanical wrestler. That'd be too weird, for one thing. Also, too mismatched since even Cyborg weighs quite a lot!

The tech-based Titan sighed, as Robin and Starfire contained their giggles. It wasn't easy being the way he was sometimes… At least Beast Boy tried to do a decent job of it, but it failed spectacularly! Perhaps he should convince Beast Boy to make a character based off his Stone persona…

Finally, the last entrant… Everyone knew who was coming. Raven just wondered why her character had been saved for last. Then, haunting music began to play, what eventually built up to be a heavy rendition of the Funeral March. That immediately set Raven off.

"Hmph! I get it. I'm deathly-creepy…" The glare that she sent Beast Boy definitely fit the music's mood, that was one thing the changeling was certain of.

"Rae! I didn't mean this that way. I just thought it fits you… You're gothic and fearless!" Beast Boy said, a small smile on his face. "Besides… here you come."

Sure enough, after a intentional delay, Raven's avatar made her appearance. Blue hood and cloak? Check. Jeweled belt? Check. Chakra on forehead? Check. Black leotard? Check. …Wait…

"And I thought you went nuts with Starfire's adjustments…" Robin muttered, obviously staring.

"Raven's going to kill you. You do realize that, right B?" Cyborg frowned, concerned for his best friend's safety.

For whatever reason, Beast Boy had given digital-Raven quite a chest and even widened her hips so she had the infamous 'hourglass figure'. In short, she was quite a looker...well, a more adult looker anyway. Despite her initial rage about how he, as her emoticlone Rage put it, 'molded her into one of his sexual fantasies', she wondered why he seemed to have put so much effort into her.

Despite the hair being a little off (game engine not providing the ability to customize hairstyles, she figured) and the… maturing…, he seemed to have come closest to perfectly duplicating her out of all five of them. Correct eyes, correct shapes of her facial features, obviously 'paint-tooled' rendition of her belt, even the exact shade of grey that was her skin color! Not to say that the other creations were sloppy (aside from Cyborg, of course)… But, not being a gamer and not knowing the specifics of "character creation", she ventured that maybe he just got lucky when creating her… She didn't know.

"Umm… Rae? You ok? You…kinda spaced out" said Beast Boy. He began to wonder if this creation was the thing that would finally get him sent to another dimension…

Raven noticed that the match, a 3-vs-2 Handicap Match, had begun and Beast Boy had just let the game run when he noticed her lack of response about digital-Raven. She glanced around and noticed three other controllers on the couch. She remained silent, but summoned one of the controllers to her.

As if a lucky guess, she found the one that controlled her own avatar. "You wanna know what I think, Beast Boy?" Fidgeting with the controller to figure out what does what, she managed to make her wrestler walk around. It started to walk toward the motionless Beast Boy avatar…

"Yeah…? I really would…" He said, stunned that she was actually trying a video game. The others remained quiet, unsure of what to make of her actions. Testing out a couple of buttons, she finally found something she wanted.

"This is what I think!" she proclaimed as digital-Raven grabbed digital-BB from behind, slipped her arms underneath his, intertwined her fingers behind his head, placing the green wrestler in the Full Nelson submission hold!

"Gah! Raven! Don't kill me…!" Beast Boy pitifully whined as he watched his character struggling. He was so thrown off by the whole scene that he forgot that he was controlling his avatar and could've struggled his way out…

Therefore, Raven won the match, making Beast Boy tap out. She flippantly tossed the controller back onto the couch cushions and proceeded to walk away, leaving three surprised Titans and one dejected one.

A minute of stunned silence later, Cyborg had a thought. "Ya know, B… I think that means she liked it."

"Dude, what match were you watching? She hated it…" Beast Boy grumbled, unwittingly asking a question that is usually used by fair commentators to question the biased statements of the corrupt color commentary.

Cyborg smirked. "Think about it. If she hated it, wouldn't YOU be hurt right now instead of your character?"

A moment passed. Then another. Then, Beast Boy suddenly had that look of revelation, the wisdom of Cyborg's question coming through.

"DUDES! She loved it!"

Later that day…

While Starfire, Robin, and Cyborg amused themselves by playing their WWE selves against WWE wrestlers in matches, Beast Boy wanted to see if Cyborg's thought was true. Especially since Raven hadn't come back since his little "character showcase"… Armed with a carefully-made cup of the empath's favorite herbal tea, he opened the door to the roof. Stepping forward and looking around, he didn't see her anywhere. Where could she be?

Suddenly, from behind, he felt arms slip underneath his and suddenly shoot upward, a pair of hands right behind his head as he became constricted in a familiar submission, cup of tea sent flying (until it was caught in a small orb of dark energy).

"You know, Gar, you're quite lucky…" she said, her monotone seeming to be barely hiding a mischievous tone of voice.

"I… am?" the green changeling couldn't help gulping anyway.

"I don't have Starfire's super-strength" was the only explanation given before she applied light strength, compressing his shoulders and neck area. Beast Boy squirmed, finding it hard to breathe.

"Shh… Shh…" Raven lightly soothed, before taking a sip of her tea (using said dark energy as a 'hand'). "There's no need to worry. All I'm doing is showing you how it looks when I wrestle. That way, you'll get it right next time."

"How… can I… see… how it… looks...? You're behind… me!" he gasped, relaxing a little as he realized that she could apply a lot more pressure and render him unable to breathe but won't do so.

Raven smirked, something that usually meant deadly intentions… "Good point. So, I guess you'll have to just feel it then, huh?"

Beast Boy was confused out of his mind, which was probably Raven's goal to begin with. Raven was somewhat choking him out, yet she, the Goth that's all about personal space, seemed to not mind the fact that he could feel her body against his back as long as she kept up the hold. Needless to say, he never got a straight answer about whether she liked what he did or not. Although, he did have a possible idea…

Author's Note: That's that, then. I hope this was enjoyable. Sometimes, when an idea presents itself as too good to pass up, I type it up, edit it the best I can, and hope it comes out alright. Also, I hope that Raven wasn't too OOC at the end. That idea just came along as I typed this and seemed like a good "punishment fits the crime" kinda thing that Raven could pull (since this is BB/Rae). A couple of notes…

Note 1: The WWE games have a Create-A-Wrestler feature with tons of customization options. One can also upload and download created wrestlers online in recent games. In WWE 2K14, I came across a complete set of Teen Titans that somebody had created (yes, due to a lack of robot parts for obvious reasons, Cyborg did look real sloppy! And yes, the Raven creation I found did look almost exactly like her.). Thus was the inspiration for this one-shot.

Note 2: Here's the list of wrestlers whose theme songs I chose for the Titans in this story, just in case anybody wants to go to YouTube or something and listen to them for perspective.

Robin = Dolph Ziggler "Here To Show The World"

Starfire = Macho Man Randy Savage "Pomp and Circumstance"

Cyborg = Mark Henry "Some Bodies Gonna Get It"

Beast Boy = Sin Cara

Raven = Undertaker's current theme

Thanks for reading! Not sure if I'll have more one-shot ideas of this nature. I have one more floating around in my head but not sure how to exactly implement it.


	3. They Call Him CM Beast?

They Call Him…CM Beast?

Author's Note: Again, another Titans + Wrestling one-shot idea I had floating around. I'm not sure why these ideas have the same common theme about them… But I hope they're likable.

In this idea, as a result, it puts a perspective on the possible nerd-rivalry between Beast Boy and Control Freak. After all, aside from possibly Adonis (that whole Beast fiasco) and perhaps the Brotherhood of Evil (who hated the entire Doom Patrol, not just BB alone), who's BB's personal nemesis anyway? Raven had her father, Robin had Slade/Deathstroke, Cyborg had Brother Blood, and Starfire had Blackfire, so… yeah. :shrugs:

Disclaimer: I really don't think I own anything of the sort.

It was rare that any sort of convention happened in Jump City, especially conventions of the anime and sci-fi variety. There was a good reason for that. Unfortunately, with Jump being a little bit of a hot-spot for metahuman (and/or psycho) criminal activity, officials of every kind tended to be at least wary of the place as an option. Sure, it was a sizable city and had its fair share of innocent, fun-loving people. But the threat couldn't be denied.

Due to the rarity of conventions, it made the big anime/sci-fi convention that was currently underway a more-than-inviting target. Especially, for a certain rotund nerdy nemesis of the Teen Titans (although, more specifically, Beast Boy seemed to have the biggest grudge against him). To complicate matters, he hadn't come alone. Hell, Robin would later 'give him credit' (putting it loosely) for using one of Deathstroke's common strategies: Send in Cinderblock first.

It was a typical result of a Cinderblock rampage at the convention center: a totally wrecked crime scene with at least one broken through wall (his usual point-of-entry), a couple of wayward bystanders, and totaled tables, stands, merchandise, garbage, and even the odd piece of food here and there. Thankfully, most of the attendees were clear of the area by the time Jump City's resident guardians arrived and immediately engaged the stone-made entity in combat.

The fight didn't last too long, especially after Robin and Cyborg had a chance to utilize their Sonic Boom attack, rendering the behemoth as unconscious as the inanimate object he was named after.

While the team was resting and waiting for the authorities to arrive with proper transport for Cinderblock, Robin pondered a small fact he couldn't help but notice on his way in…

"Hey… You guys see any citizens on the way in here? The streets and parking lot just outside were empty…" he said, a leader-like frown on his face.

Cyborg also frowned. "Good point. Don't these kinda attacks usually have a crowd of scared, confused people hovering around nearby? Unless the people got so scared that they ran all the way to their homes…"

"Unlikely. Plenty of people come from outside of town for these pointless gatherings, even from out-of-state." Raven replied in her usual analytical monotone. "Besides, the parking lot is still full of cars. Not a lot of people would leave their vehicles behind, especially those that have rental cars."

"Tell me about it, Rae. I still remember the time I was late bringing back that moped I rented out!" quipped Beast Boy, the $250 in late fees that he had cost the team (and the severe lecture Robin had given him as a result) coming back to mind. It was only late by one day! Sure, the team could easily afford it with their city-paid budget, but $250 is still $250…

Robin wandered over to one of the remaining bystanders, who had gotten knocked aside during Cinderblock's rude entry. "Excuse me, sir. Do you know what happened to everybody else?"

"Didn't they all run outside? I saw a lot of people run off… I… I admit my memory's a little hazy, since I was trying to get back up… But I think they ran off toward the exits. Aren't they outside?" the nervous citizen replied, half dazed and half in awe that the leader of the Teen Titans was speaking to him.

Robin's face was grim. "No… There wasn't anybody out there except the police's first responders…" He turned back to the others. "Guys, we got a problem."

"Do you think it is Deathstroke again, boyfriend Robin?" asked Starfire, worry evident in her features. She, like the others, immediately recalled that the living chunk of concrete tended to be a favored minion of the cruel mercenary.

"No… He wouldn't attack a sci-fi convention. That would be pointless to him, even as a diversion for something else. No, this is someone else. But who?"

As if on cue, Beast Boy thought he heard something. A side effect of his unique condition of being a changeling was that he was blessed with somewhat-enhanced senses in his human form. He raised a hand and shushed the others, his ears flitting and twitching at moments as he focused on listening. There it was again… A muffled voice, coming from the other side of the convention center. Perhaps the auditorium?

He silently started off toward the other end of the convention center, the others following as if the green changeling was a bloodhound on the trail (which he very well could be if he chose to morph). Sure enough, he had guessed correctly. The sounds had led him to the double-doors to the closed-off auditorium. It sounded like only one voice, constantly talking loudly. The walls did a decent job of blocking most of the sound, the others only now starting to hear the muffled voice. But it wasn't enough to hold off Beast Boy's senses.

Robin and Beast Boy each went up to one of the double doors. Slowly, they pushed, hoping whoever was in there forgot to lock it. Fortunately, it was unlocked. Their ears were met with an obnoxiously-familiar voice before they saw the criminal on the stage in front of a giant projector screen. Control Freak.

"Dammit, I should've guessed. An anime and sci-fi convention! Duh!" Beast Boy harshly whispered, facepalming himself.

"Hey, at least it's someone relatively easy. But either way, he's a threat. It seems he has all the attendees hostage as a 'captive audience'." Robin responded, his eyes taking in what he could of the situation as the others got a peek over or under their heads "Wonder what he's talking about anyway…" Even the Boy Wonder could be curious sometimes. Then again, he tended to wanted all the facts about a case…

"If I know him, I'll know exactly what he's talking about. Let's listen…" Beast Boy said before morphing into a small cat and wandered in to take a look and a listen.

"Uhh… Did Beast Boy just say that he could figure something out?" Robin couldn't help but ask, a smirk on his face. Picking on Beast Boy: still an amusing pastime!

"Technically, knowing Control Freak's usual M.O. and Beast Boy's nerd-like knowledge of all things fiction and entertainment, I would say that he's telling the truth…for once" the gothic empath replied, hoping that her close friend wouldn't do something ridiculous.

Then again, she knew him well. He WAS going to do something ridiculous!

"I guess we… see what happens and wait for an opportunity to bring him down?" Cyborg ventured a guess.

"Looks that way… Let's keep watching." Robin answered.

Garfield Logan could not believe the situation as he quietly prowled amongst the occupied seats in his kitten form. Control Freak had taken an entire crowd hostage just to… brag about how cool a show was? Then again, he probably shouldn't have been surprised.

"…and so you see, despite the weak character development of Dar Dar Finks, Episode 1 of _Battle of the Planets_ is just as genius as the original trilogy! It's still the greatest franchise in fandom history. And before anybody says anything, don't get me started on _Doctor When_! All that show has is nothing but time-traveling tripe, not like real time travel stories… I oughta know. I've seen them all and I know what's great!" Control Freak rambled on, pacing back in forth as he commanded the projector to show screen shots of the much-maligned _Battle of the Planets _prequel.

The crowd was a mix of different emotions. Some were nervous because of the pudgy criminal's publicly-known antisocial instability. Some were annoyed because he just kept yammering on and on and ON and ON! Some were patient because, in the end, the criminal is just an out-of-shape, muscle-deficient slacker with a sour disposition, super-remote or no super-remote. Not to mention the fact that the giant living slab of concrete was guarantee to draw the attention of the city's resident guardians, the Teen Titans. One or two attendees actually decided to treat this as a guest lecture, perhaps curious of what kind of fandom opinions a psycho has.

"I sometimes hear a few people ask me, amongst the fear and panic of most of you sheeple pseudo-nerds out there, why I know so much. I'll tell ya. I have been a person of influence for quite some time in the world of entertainment. Before my… decent into a life of crime, I practically had some control over the course of entertainment! Shows I liked were acclaimed! Shows I hated were banished into obscurity! No, I wasn't some executive or whatever. Do I look old enough? Ha. But no matter. It didn't last forever. Soon, there were some things that couldn't be controlled. A couple of certain shows got some… momentum. I really didn't care for them, but there they went anyway." He rambled on, seemingly slipping into a tone of a man telling a long-held secret to the world. An unhinged man…

As he rambled about how he eventually "left", Beast Boy took a careful look around in the crowd for any traps, any bombs or vats of nerve gas or anything of the sort that could harm the captives with a push of a button. So far, he hadn't seen anything. Perhaps Control Freak wanted people to hear and remember what he had to say. It would fit his mentality. Why kill off the only people that he has the attention of? Either way, with no clear sign of danger toward the people, Beast Boy figured he had the 'go ahead' to do something.

"…and so, with my special remote, I showed them the error of their ways. After all, crap shows like those weren't what we fellow nerds wanted. I knew from that moment on that I can bring change to entertainment, bring us what we wanna see! Like more _Pretty Pretty Pegasus_! Say what you will, it's a solid show! Thank you for listening!"

Right when Control Freak finished, one person clapped…which was odd to the agitated nerd considering he had animated all the chairs to keep everyone's hands and feet bound to the chair arms and front legs. He looked around his captive audience, only to notice a familiar green teenager walking down the aisle, clapping slowly, a frown on his face to indicate that the clapping was merely sarcasm. A hopeful murmur went about the crowd, rescue having finally arrived.

"Beast Brat! Argh…! I guess this means you and your friends beat Cinderblock." Control Freak stated as Beast Boy climbed onto the stage to face him. Then, Beast Boy smirked, his arms calmly at his sides, showing that he didn't want to fight (yet).

"Ya know… you never seem to really amaze anybody. You never cease to amaze me. For somebody as bold as you to claim to be the genius behind this popularity of nerds these days, you still haven't a clue as to what these people actually want!" He said, barely containing a couple of giggles. About half the hostages muttered their agreement in a dull roar.

Robin facepalmed. "Is he trying to piss him off?! What if those people are strapped to bombs!" he harshly asked.

"Hey, man. Give B a little credit. If there were bombs or something, wouldn't he have noticed something by now and have come back here?" Cyborg said, knowing that his best friend couldn't be THAT immature during a hostage situation.

Either way, Raven groaned to herself. Nerds defending nerds from other nerds, she supposed.

Beast Boy continued, noticing the sour look on his nemesis' face. "You don't know what these people wanna hear, you don't know what these people wanna see… but don't worry! I'm out here, because… today, I'm on your side, man. I'm gonna help you." At this, Control Freak raised an eyebrow.

"Now I'm not gonna make it easy for ya, I'm not just gonna hand over the keys to Castle Grayskull or anything, ok? I'm not just gonna tell you what they wanna hear, I'm not gonna tell you what exactly what they wanna see. We're gonna start backwards and we'll work our way to the top. I'm gonna tell you what they DON'T wanna hear and what they DON'T wanna see and what these people don't wanna see…" he paused. Then he stepped forward glaring at Control Freak. "is you!"

"Why you little…" the criminal was cut off by cheers and applause from the captives, clearly in agreement of the Titan's statement.

Beast Boy grinned, pacing around. "You hear that, man? They don't want to see you, attacking this city week in and week out, shuffling around in your sci-fi renegade suits with your personal agendas and your bucket list. And they certainly don't wanna hear about the time you spent on internet message boards." At this point, he put a hand on Control Freak's shoulder, as if he were a friend. "I especially love the revisionist history about how cool you 'really were', that was awesome…" he took his hand back off and resumed walking around the rotund criminal, like a predator calmly stalking its prey.

"But I know the truth. And I like to tell the truth…usually…" His mind very momentarily thought of his many pranks. Good times. "Maybe I'm that guy that says things to people that other people just don't wanna say, so I'm here to tell you to your face, straight-up: All of this is about you 'putting your chips' on _Battle of the Planets Episode 1_…and then _Star Journey_ beats it in popularity here!"

That was met with applause from the crowd, an annoyed groan from Raven, and worried looks between Starfire, Robin, and Cyborg, the four other Titans wondering if Beast Boy is going too far. Robin, having noticed that Control Freak's back is mostly away from their side of the audience, he whispered to the others that they should sneak down the aisle so they can surprise the vile nerd if he tries anything.

Meanwhile, Beast Boy went on, despite the angry teeth-gnashing of Control Freak. "So you're face turned about as red as your shaggy hair and you got embarrassed. And then, you attack and hold captive an innocent crowd of convention-goers, what, to let out your frustrations? You're like a little hyena!" Beast Boy added insult to injury by morphing into said animal and laughing at him. The crowd chuckled, which was good. The hero has to keep a crowd calm in a potentially dangerous situation like this, no matter how pissed off the villain got.

He soon morphed back. "Yeah, Cinderblock does the damage and then you're here immediately after to pick the bones…" Beast Boy paused, looking a little lost. "Hmm… Am I forgetting anything?" He looked around the crowd. In the aisle that was relatively behind the glaring Control Freak, he could see his friends sneak on down. Good. They caught on to his diversion plan and Control Freak was directing all of his attention on the changeling.

"Am I forgetting…Ah yeah! I forgot! The reason why you had to leave your mom's basement and turn raging dweeb-criminal was because there wasn't anybody on the internet that would give a damn about your rotten-ass opinions!" The crowd laughed and cheered at this.

"I did not live in my mom's basement…!" fumed the lard-blooded geek, smoke practically shooting from his ears.

"You were a joke then and you left… Then, you came back, and… you're still a joke." Beast Boy shrugged, as if silently adding 'There's nothing I can do about that one, pal'.

"Ooooo! You better watch your ass from now on, you green turd! You hear me!?"

Beast Boy backed away, a 'what'd I do?' look on his face. "I'll be careful… Yeah, I'll be careful, 'Dr. Eggman'…" he smirked, glad that the sudden fat joke made Control Freak's face that much redder. He noticed the other four Titans quietly climbing/hovering onto the stage (the audible crowd neatly taking care of the idea of any noise Cyborg's mechanical body would make with climbing). "And another thing I'm gonna do is watch what happens next. I'll be so careful that I'm just gonna watch my friends beat you when they get here."

Control Freak could barely contain his rage. "Are you finished?!" he demanded, his right hand floating dangerously close to his back pocket, where he kept his superpowered remote.

Beast Boy look surprised. He turned toward the hostages. "Am I finished?" he asked.

"NO!" was the resounding response from half of the crowd..

"Ya see, that people power. We're gonna listen to the people right now. Am I finished?!" Beast Boy pointed at the crowd, as if cueing them.

"NO!" they cheerfully replied. If they could, some would've probably raised some fists in support.

"Alright, let's see then…" Beast Boy appeared thoughtful. He wondered for that brief second why his opponent didn't attack him right there. Perhaps Control Freak was stilled by sheer embarrassment? Or maybe just nervous of what Beast Boy could be plotting. After all, he rarely broke out into long speeches, even if this one was of his kind of humor…

"You're stupid!" he proclaimed in a manner that sounded like he was daring the fat man to attack. Control Freak knew he should zap him right then. But he couldn't. He had a bad feeling about this… He knew something was up.

"You're ugly!" This verbal jab the crowd definitely agreed with. Control Freak never was very pleasant to look at… The rotund one mentally scolded himself for not adding some bombs as a contingency plan.

"And you have NO FRIENDS!" Beast Boy said as if announcing that he'd won the lottery, cheesy grin and all. "Am I finished?"

"NO!" The crowd couldn't help but egg him on.

Beast Boy then pointed a finger right at the pudgy know-it-all, hoping that the others use that as a signal. "You're also a gigantic toolbox!"

Right on cue, Robin and Cyborg grabbed his arms from behind and restrained him while Raven telekinetically took away the reality-bending remote and broke it. The audience was now free as a result, the auditorium seats reverting back to normal. Starfire took the opportunity to put the angry, struggling criminal in her "hold-of-sleeper", as she was fond of calling it.

"There. Now I'm finished" said Beast Boy before going over to start checking on the now-former captives.

Back at Titan's Tower, later that evening, Beast Boy was in his room, writing in his private journal (although he always had a suspicion that somebody occasionally reads it…).

"_I can't be any happier with how today's mission went! Nobody got hurt! Well… Except for Control Freak who had bruising on his neck. Dude, Star had better be careful with that sleeper hold! She probably should've used that on Cinderblock! Eh, maybe not… Does he even have a neck? Anyways, we rescued everybody. (Duh. Otherwise, nobody would be here right now.) And for once, I finally got to lecture a bad guy! I think I know what it's like to be Robin now! _

_Umm… A funnier Robin, anyway. _

_I think… _

_Hmm… Guess not totally. But, still I got to talk somebody's ear off about justice and stuff! I wonder if any of the others liked my speech. Granted, most of it wasn't from me, but I'll be damned if something like that didn't seem… fitting for that dweeb. He was so ridiculous! Attacking a convention just because people didn't like something he did… Raven doesn't like most of my things and I'd never ever attack her! Well, not physically… We do argue sometimes… But I always apologize after, every time! Ah, I'm getting off-track!_

_Point is that I know I'm not very smart… but he's dumber! And more selfish! Raven would probably take all day lecturing him about how stupid his reasons and actions are! At least, 12 hours. Guaranteed, she would've had some sort of long list written up in her mind if she did have to talk him down. _

_Hell, there's a funny thought: That yellow-cloaked brainy Raven-emotion writing up a list of Control Freak's problems. Damn, I'm going off-track again._

_Why does she make me go off track? I probably sound like some sort of dork… Wait, is somebody knocking?"_

Indeed, somebody was knocking on his door. "Coming!" he said, hiding his journal in his desk. He stumbled over his numerous piles of clothes and miscellaneous items until he finally opened the door, revealing the very Titan he'd unwittingly been writing about.

"Beast Boy" she plainly said in greeting. He knew she sounded uncaring, but he knew her greeting was far from it. If she didn't care, she wouldn't have even come close to his room, considering both the room's total lack of cleanliness in itself and her own habitual tendency for tidiness and order.

"Hi, Rae! Um… I'd invite you in, but… uhh… I'll come out there!" he nervously stated, stepping through the doorway and pressing the button that let his door slide shut. Raven simply stared, although she did appreciate him trying to be respectful of her. "Sooo… What's up?"

"I was thinking… about what you did at the convention today, Gar." Despite the ever-present monotone, there was something about the way she said it that, to the green Titan, seemed… amused? Friendly? He couldn't place it…

"Yeah…?" His face grew a little red. "I was just… well… ya know… the diversion. It's part of what we do, right?" he stammered, unsure of what to make of this. He was hopeful, though.

"Yeah, that's true. But there was something about what you did out there… The things you said, knowing too well that Freak could've taken out his remote at any time. You didn't freak out or stammer or even sound nervous… I'm… impressed." Raven said, giving Beast Boy a view of the ever-elusive little smile that would only grace her face if something truly made her happy.

He couldn't believe it. He impressed Raven. He got her to SMILE! After all these years! He then realized that his jaw had dropped and he must've looked foolish with his mouth in some 'O' shape. "Really? You… mean it?" he said, wide-eyed.

"Oh, yes… In fact, it was so impressive that I knew there had to be more to it. So… I got you a little something" she answered, taking something out from beneath her cloak.

It was a CM Punk "Best In The World" t-shirt. Beast Boy was busted.

He suspected that she was at least impressed that he had dared to provoke an armed criminal as a diversion, even if the weapon was something as out-there as a reality-bending TV remote. After all, why the smile? She doesn't give those out to just anybody for anything. However… she had caught him plagiarizing the speech.

"You know what gave it away?" she asked, the sweet smile having turned into a just-as-elusive mischievous smirk. "Two things. First, the fact that one of the best ways to outwit nerds tends to be 'talking their language' to your advantage, so to speak. Therefore, a big pop-culture reference had to be your weapon of choice."

"And…the second?" Beast Boy asked, glumly holding his new gift.

"If you tried to say something original, you'd crack and probably ask Control Freak for a do-over." The matter-of-fact way she immediately said that floored Beast Boy into silence for a few moments as he stared at the decorated t-shirt in his hand.

Then, he started laughing, his normal happy-go-lucky laugh. "Oh Raven, you know me too well!" he remarked as he put on his new shirt. "Thanks for the gift, by the way."

"You're welcome. But if you expect me to actually acknowledge you as the 'Best in the World', you better keep dreaming" she couldn't help but add that. She had to admit that the others were right: it was always amusing to pick on Beast Boy…even if he did indeed deserve credit for bravery.

Author's Note: Alright. Third one-shot in this series done! I hope this one seems alright. I do realize that Control Freak had every opportunity to whip out his crazy remote and fire away throughout that whole thing, but that would ruin the intent of the story. Besides, I don't think it's an odd concept that somebody, hero or villain, would hesitate from attacking because they feel like it's "too good to be true" and there's a catch somewhere.

Anyways, Beast Boy's little speech is based on one given by popular pro-wrestler CM Punk, who used that speech in mid-2012 to criticize and embarrass an arrogantly evil authority figure who had claims of being a "very talented" wrestler in Japan in his youth and wanted to use said "talents" to beat up a big name hero.

NOTICE: I have an idea for a fourth in this odd series of one-shots, but I'd like to know if I should go with it or not. Basically, Beast Boy is watching some old-school wrestling again (like Grim Reminder), but this time, Raven ends up noticing somebody using her namesake: ECW's resident grungy anarchist, Raven! Good idea or too far-fetched? Reviews are appreciated!


	4. Quoth The Raven, Nevermore

Quoth The Raven, Nevermore! (or What About The Other Raven!?)

Author's Note: A correction I must make about "A Creative SmackDown". I based the Titans' created forms on those I had seen on WWE 2K14 and I had make a joke on Cyborg because of a horribly-done creation of him I saw in the game. However, somebody FINALLY put up a nicely-done version of Cy! However, I'm not gonna change the one-shot, since it's sometimes funny when Cyborg's the one joked on. Anyways, moving on…

Another Note: I'm aware that I ended up missing BB/Rae Week, no thanks to me having to work 7 days in a row and the fact that I had a little bit of a tough time trying to write up this idea, considering the fact that half of this is a write-up of a wrestling match from mostly Raven's perspective… Ah well.

If I had to pick one of the 7 themes of BB/Rae Week, I think this fic would fall under Perseverance, seeing as Raven has to put up with both watching pro-wrestling AND Beast Boy's ramblings. But she endures!

Disclaimer: Still don't own anything…

It was another boring Saturday at Titans Tower. Who knows how many of their adventures started off in the middle of a typical day, but this day seemed promising to be crime-free. Robin had reported that crime was unusually low the past week, so it didn't seem to hurt to hope that today would be just as peaceful.

Beast Boy was, as usual, lounging on the circular sofa. He was wearing one of his favorite shirts, a CM Punk shirt. Only two of the five Titans knew exactly why he wore it quite often when civilian clothing was an available option. The others could merely speculate (although Cyborg was close in guessing, since he had seen Raven with said shirt in hand floating toward Beast Boy's room shortly after an encounter with Control Freak).

Raven was sitting on the very end of the sofa, reading another tome about mystical enchantments and tuning out the TV as Beast Boy flipped through the new WWE Network. Cyborg and Beast Boy both decided that the Titans just had to have the new pro-wrestling streaming network, much to Raven's slight annoyance. Not that she had anything against wrestling anymore after seeing Cyborg occasionally force Robin to be Starfire's "training partner" (aka torture victim) for when he had a new submission maneuver to teach the eager Tamaranean. Coincidentally, those sessions always seemed to happen soon after the 'human traffic light' did or said something that got on Cyborg's nerves… But that's another problem.

Beast Boy seemed to have finally picked something to watch, as Raven noted when she heard constant sounds of some pay-per-view warming up with a promotional video. 'Great, 3 straight hours of fighting… No, wait… He chose a WrestleMania… 3 and a HALF hours…' the empath mentally groaned without even moving or taking her eyes off her book. Sure, she didn't mind the sport, but she still had her limits. Stay or warp to her room…?

After a moment, she decided to stay. After all, it was just her and Beast Boy in the Tower at the moment and her disappearing would probably seem to him like he did something wrong. If Raven was told even a year ago that she would be concerned about how Beast Boy, of all people, would react to her suddenly warping away, she'd probably laugh….and then slap the messenger. But their friendship had grown. She still preferred doing things her way, of course. But she grew accustomed to his outgoing, cheerful ways and even… liked his presence…at times. (She still avoided him like the plague around April Fools Day and any other time where he was apparently on one of his Prank Sprees.)

And so, as Raven researched about how to enchant certain unconventional objects, Beast Boy watched as the first couple of fights progressed. She could barely keep from rolling her eyes upon hearing some of the action. The first fight, according to what Raven's ears heard, sounding like it was between a wannabe rock star against some British guy. Somehow, that scenario itself reminded her of a particular July 4th when Mad Mod took over Jump City and, in turn, of Beast Boy's claim that she was 'jealous because he sounded like a rock star'.

The second fight, she deduced, was some sort of team fight between a group of mercenaries and… did she hear that commentary right? A group that promoted censorship of every kind? That did it. She rolled her eyes. She was glad that her book was blocking her face from Beast Boy's view in case he happened to be glancing her way. From that point, she focused her full attention to her book.

Ten minutes later though, she heard Beast Boy call her name. She glanced at him, her usual monotonous look on her face, in her case, a friendly way of saying "what?".

"I think ya might find something interesting with this next fight, Rae" the green changeling said, a smirk on his face, for reasons she couldn't figure out. She frowned.

"Sigh… I hope this isn't something immature, Gar… I remember the last time you showed me something from that Monday Night Raw show…" she said, lowering her book and turning her head toward the screen.

Creepy electric-guitar riffs began to play, bolstered by echoing caws of ravens. A grungy-looking man with long, curly brown hair, ratty jean-shorts, a white shirt, and a black leather coat came onto the stage wheeling out a shopping cart full of strange, random blunt objects, most likely to be used as weapons. The ring announcer began the introduction…

"_The following contest scheduled for one fall is a Triple Threat Match for the World Wrestling Federation Hardcore Championship! From The Bowery…weighing 245 pounds… The World Wrestling Federation Hardcore Champion… RAVEN!"_

The grey-skinned Titan raised an eyebrow as 'The Other Raven' pushed his weapons cart toward the ring, a similar monotonous look on his face. This dirty, punkish, grunge-band-washout of a wrestler has the same name as HER? This guy? What was Beast Boy's point?

At this point, Other-Raven had arrived at ringside and was unloading his shopping cart of weapons by hand. A plant, a Frankenstein doll, some sort of caution sign, a cookie tray, and other odds and ends were lightly tossed into the ring as Other-Raven maintained his stone-faced demeanor. He then rolled into the ring, anticipating the arrival of his opponents.

Raven noticed that Beast Boy had a curious smirk on his face as fire pyro went off to herald the arrival of the second contestant, some demonic-looking masked thug (which Raven almost rolled her eyes at, since this guy at first glance was nowhere near as troublesome as her horrid father). "What?" she simply asked, neutral as usual.

"Nothing. Just thought ya might like the similarity." The changeling replied, watching as Kane made his way into the ring only to be met by a head-on charge by Other-Raven.

"Sigh… What similarity? He has my name, so what? Raven isn't exactly a girly name, by any means" quipped the empath, starting to become a little annoyed.

"Well, look at him now. He's charging head-on, just like we usually do with criminals. Granted, we all charge right in when we spot enemies, but still, you go right for it with your spells and everything." Beast Boy said, grasping at straws with that particular explanation. Raven's face remained stone-still as she simply gazed at Beast Boy, ignoring the match as its third challenger finally arrived.

"Sigh… Ok, fine. Maybe that's a very common thing among people…" the green Titan sighed, caving under her intense stare. They resumed watching the match as Other-Raven ended up caught by the "demon" and thrown outside toward the giant third challenger. Raven mentally noted that it seemed quite basic and maybe cocky for someone to call himself "The Big Show" just because he's 7 feet tall…

"I guess that's common for all of us too. Even when we strike first, we sometimes get knocked aside." Beast Boy remarked, trying again to find comparisons between the two Ravens.

"Let it be noted that so far, it has been YOU that gets thrown around by criminals. Cinderblock ring a bell?" answered Raven as she watched the three wrestlers fight their way over the barricade that separates the crowd from the ring area and proceeded to punch each other among the civilians.

"Hey, c'mon, Rae! Some of our resident criminal assholes managed to physically butt in on your spell-throwing too!" Beast Boy said as Raven enjoyed the all-too-familiar look of defeat on his face.

"True… But my point stands. Hmm… Where'd the other Raven go?" she asked, changing the subject as she noticed that only the demon-guy and Big Show were brawling toward the back of the crowd.

The two giants made their way toward an exit leading to the backstage depths of the sports arena the event was in. Suddenly, Other-Raven burst out from the exit with a sneak attack with a blunt object on the masked man.

"Hey, there's something in common. Both of you fight smart!" Beast Boy exclaimed, proud that he might have gotten something right. Raven's eyes narrowed slightly.

"I don't DO ambushes."

"Oh come on. Look at this situation. That Raven's opponents are bigger and tougher than him so he decided to get sneaky. That's smart. Besides, look at us! We fight goons that're bigger than us all the time! Cinderblock, Plasmus, Johnny Rancid's creations, Mammoth… Not to mention, I've noticed you fight. You try and wait until they're distracted to magically fling heavy stuff at 'em."

"Sigh… I can't believe I'm being compared to a wrestler…"

"A Gothic one! That should be better for ya."

"Just because we're in the same subculture doesn't automatically make us friends…"

"I guess so. Forgot about the 'loner' thing…"

Raven shook her head in frustration. But she stayed. She didn't know why, since Beast Boy was seemingly stupider than usual today. But she kept watching as Big Show and the demon-guy apparently named Cain (ironic or perhaps intentional that the name was the same as the biblical "world's first murderer") battered Other-Raven as they progressed backstage, occasionally smashing each other with a slam or a punch.

They eventually got to a caged-off storage area where Big Show threw Other-Raven and the referee in and shut the door, locking it to keep Kane out. (Raven had to smirk when she found out the correct spelling of the faux-demon's name. How else other than simply changing the spelling can an entertainment company avoid ticking off strict religious people while still using the reference?) Obviously, Kane burst through and all three began to take full advantage of the loose debris of random objects. A shelf landed on Other-Raven, Kane smashing a broom handle on Big Show, a few punches, Other-Raven using a garden hose to choke Kane, the demon throwing his body weight to slam Raven through the cage wall…

"And here comes how you two tend to endure a whole lot in battle. That's not an often trait among people."

Raven wasn't quite sure what he meant, until Kane wrapped the hose around Other-Raven's neck and first slammed him into a metal stadium-related structure and then sending him flying through a nearby glass window with a satisfying crash.

The empath narrowed her eyes severely, a glare aimed at the green imp. "And pray tell what is the point of that?"

"That in battle, we may not always come out unharmed, but since you usually do your Zinthos thing, I gotta admire that you can certainly come back from a lot of things when it comes to when an enemy actually gets a bad hit on ya… You're tougher than ya look." he nervously replied.

Raven too a moment to think about that answer. In this case, that meant sensing if he was just lying to spare himself from pain. She did sense nervousness, but also a bit of bravery, a feeling of admiration, and no traces of deception or cunning anywhere. It was true, then. He did think she was quite tough.

She resumed watching the match, still surprising herself by still not warping to her room to stop Beast Boy's adamant ramblings. Apparently, Big Show and Kane had tossed each other through a wall or two in some small-office area. Suddenly, Other-Raven comes in through a nearby door, upends a small fold-up table onto his opponents, and throws out a few kicks before stumbling away. Just like Beast Boy's point about Raven herself being persistent in combat.

Other-Raven had shuffled off and stumbled across a couple of randomly-parked golf carts. He decided to get in and see if he could regroup. After all, in combat, one would have to know when to fold them. The purple-haired Titan knew that too when things get out of hand. And just like some out-of-hand combat situations, sometimes you get caught when you try and fall back. Such was the case with Other-Raven when Big Show climbed in the back of the occupied cart and tried to choke out the grungy wrestler while he drove away. (Kane would soon commandeer a second one and proceed to give chase, referee in back.)

He obviously didn't get far, since being choked out didn't aid one's driving skill at all. The Goth crashed the cart into a steel structure and the two wrestlers stumbled out. Other-Raven tried to create some distance to rethink his tactics, but ended up taking a dive, no thanks to Kane driving his golf cart into him.

"So what's common between us with this, Gar? This Raven's not doing so well…" The empath wondered if Gar's overall point was that she was impressive but ineffective in the long run… She hoped that wasn't the case.

"Yeah, it's not his best fight… But we've all had our share of crap before… Me with that Adonis jerk, for example. But ya know it takes guts to keep trying anyway… like how you helped us defeat Mumbo when he trapped us in that hat!" Beast Boy said, his typical cheesy grin adorning his face again just as Other-Raven tried to make a comeback by smashing a plastic tray of ice on Kane's face (although the Goth got a brutal response by Big Show throwing Other-Raven's body across the multitude of drinks on the table).

"Well… I guess that's true…" Raven muttered, pondering this as she watched the three fighters trade attacks throughout the hallway and back toward the entranceway into the arena. A few moments later, the arena crowd witnessed the trio brawl out onto the entrance stage, Other-Raven still taking the worst of it.

The match eventually drew to a close after Kane kicked Big Show, who had lifted Other-Raven above his head, sending both off the stage and crashing through the stage debris alone. Naturally, this sealed the deal for a Kane victory.

"Some match, huh?" Beast Boy simply asked, as if expecting Raven to be impressed.

"A technical masterpiece…" was the grey girl's sarcastic response, deflating Beast Boy's enthusiasm. "So there's a 'boy version of me'… Not a big deal, Gar…"

Beast Boy pouted. "Just thought you'd like it, Rae…"

"Raven…" She habitually corrected him, as usual. "And it was… tolerable."

"Alright." Beast Boy said, figuring that it's as positive a review as Raven would give anything wrestling-related.

"What, no 'victory dance' about me putting up with something of yours without insulting it?" Raven said, a little surprised about his calm response. She knew how it sometimes seemed like he fought tooth-and-nail to get her to even agree to give something of his interests a try.

"Don't get me wrong, I really want to. But I don't want to push my luck." The changeling answered, chuckling a little.

"That's the smartest decision you've made today… Quoth the Raven… Nevermore." She exclaimed before warping away. Beast Boy's jaw dropped. He knew she liked Edgar Allen Poe, but… how did she know Raven the Wrestler's catch-phrase? Or was that just sheer chance?

That would be another mystery of the grey-skinned empath known as Raven that he would never really know the answer to. But even so, he took that as a good sign. She not only put up with him, but despite Raven being Raven, he was beginning to know her well enough to sense that… she enjoyed watching the match with him. She was opening up to him, little by little. And that was good enough for him.

Author's Note: Ok, not my best work, I think. But I thought the plot idea of "Raven meets Raven" was an interesting one, so I gave it my best shot. I hope it's enjoyable.

For those that would like a visual perspective of what BB and Rae watched or are interested in the fight, I hear this site is a little tricky about links (correct me if I'm wrong) but here's the YouTube link to the match in question. Just remember to delete the spaces when ya copy and paste!

www . youtube watch?v=Y3vm3L74Ep4

Also, as a neat little thing I found, somebody created and posted a cool "wrestling entrance video" for Raven (the Titan) using the theme music of Raven (the wrestler). Personally, I think the music suits her perfectly, especially when someone ticks her off. Lol. Credit to the YouTube user named NationOfAnimation. Again, delete the spaces in case hates links.

www . youtube watch?v=BU3daVTNakI

Next possible idea: I'm thinking of taking a break from BB/Rae for the moment and perhaps focus on the Rob/Star-centric running gag of Starfire using Robin as a training partner for learning new wrestling moves, why she's so intent on using him, and how (and if) Robin can get out of it without hurting her feelings. Or maybe I'll focus on both pairings by letting Beast Boy and Raven "call commentary" on Star's training sessions. I dunno. Let me know your thoughts, people! Reviews and/or suggestions are very appreciated!


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